D26- Lower Te Hoe river to Mohaka river(coppermine)

Its going to be another hot day. Im usually cold in the bivvi but last night I had to sleep with my head out - bad points - dew. From my campspot I hit 100 acre road, heading southridge. Its marked on the map as a legal road through forestry, but the forests been logged and turned into farmland. The road starts off a farm track.
I meet a farmer who confirms its a private road but dosent seem to give a shit about me being there so neither do I. The road passes a saddle before fording the ankle deep Hautapu river - the only privately owned river in NZ. It then heads up a hill past farmhouses and through a gate. A sighn states Ngatapa Station - private property, but of course i never saw it coming from the other way. From here i take a forestry track on the left which climbs quite steeply, offering good cell reception. I take an overgrown and severly erroded logging track which drops 300m to the Mohaka. Its a short bush bash to meet the river. Its in a gourge and must be siddled downstream for 5 mins.
The Mohaka would compeat with the Motu for biggest river tackled on this trip, and at this stage it would probably win. Its uncrossable below Everets, but theres a deep slow flowing section below the gourge and its an easy swim. Trying to cross mid- rapid would be game over.
From here its 3 days in the same river and as always, its upstream. Unlike the Motu the valley sides are less steep and its possible to get as far as Everets on the true right. Sevral bluffs on the true left would be unpassable. Theres a lot of blackberry/gourse in this section which at times makes travel tricky. First up theres some steep limestone bluffs which require a steep climb - hands and feet. After reaching a well trodden cattle trail, this can be followed through regen farmland untill its safe to retern to the riverbed.
From here its mostly bloderhopping with a few sections of sand and a bit of wading, no crossings required. The sides are all private, tho most bush, and while its not exactly a wilderness its still a good walk. A few bluffs require scrambles, but the dry rocks grippy and the rivers deep enough to catch a fall. With temperatures into the 30's, regular dips are essential.
I go as far as a disused coppermine, nothing impressive, and set up camp nearby. Whilst its not the sandy terrace under a large Toatra that i was hoping for ( thats accross the river), there's just enough sand for the bivvi. The sandflies are bad. I could of easily made it to the doc campsite at Everets, its busy with families at this time of year and has a fee and fire ban- not my scene eh.